BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.
Viewpoint
Question: Does business really need an integrated management systems standard?Integrate or disintegrate - which would you choose? Some ten years ago the environmental standard, ISO 14001, was born and there are now over 100,000 organizations registered to it worldwide.
Some 30 years ago, BSI carried out the first assessments to the standard that later developed into ISO 9001. Today there are 800,000 organizations worldwide registered to it. These standards have proved to be incredibly successful and have been widely adopted worldwide.
In the last few weeks, the world's first certificate to the integrated management "standard" PAS 99 was issued. How many of these will there be in ten, 20 or 30 years? It seems likely to me that there will be a large number. Of course, by then, I anticipate the "standard" will no longer be called PAS 99: it will be refined and doubtless improved by the rigours of the international standardization process but it will be there in big numbers.
At the BSI conference in the UK in early March, five per cent of organizations represented already had fully integrated systems. Thirty per cent had systems that were capable of being integrated or were en route to integration. PAS 99 represents a practical way to meet market demand for integrated registration ensuring high standards across all component parts. It was developed by top class practitioners in the art; it is timely; widely recognized and eminently practical. It will be used.
Neil Hannah,
managing director, BSI Management Systems UK
"Numerous businesses have found considerable benefits in integrating the management systems that they operate. Not only is much duplication avoided, but integration can bring coherence to the operation and better business focus. Guidance on integration is valuable and PAS 99 is a significant contribution in this respect.
"At present, there is no requirement for organizations to demonstrate that they have an integrated management system in place. Companies implementing the guidance outlined in PAS 99 are doing so for the benefits it brings to the business."
David Smith, author of PAS 99, director, iMS Risk Solutions
"The integrity of Multisol's management systems stems from their integration at the very start: PAS 99 offers a single framework to address the needs of our suppliers and customers; our environmental responsibilities and our place in the local community as well as mapping the demands of our future development. PAS 99 facilitates an ethos of continuous improvement throughout the organization without labelling topics as relevant for quality, environment or health and safety, so there is a single holistic focus. PAS 99 has provided Multisol with a structure to refine our management systems and the opportunity to incorporate essential control mechanisms, which previously existed outside our accredited systems. We are now able to identify and incorporate relevant aspects of other accredited systems within our controlled management structure."
Hilary Banner, director, Multisol
Business Standards © 2007. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
It's a familiar scenario in the news: a piece of evidence is introduced to prosecute a defendant in a courtroom and if any doubt is introduced about the integrity of that evidence, the strength of that evidence can be limited if not eliminated, potentially harming a legal case.
BSI British Standards has launched its online Draft Review system for national Drafts for Public Comment (DPCs).
Fast glass: Kitemark® for Norvik
Barnsley based Norvik PVCu Window Systems Ltd has achieved Kitemark certification to BS EN 1279 for its new range of double-glazed sealed units in record time, following assessment from BSI Product Services.
Are you "Fit to supply" 2012 Olympic Games?
Business Link, the support and networking agency funded primarily by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), is working with BSI to help companies in their goal to win contracts for the 2012 Olympic Games.
In May 2008, BSI British Standards was presented with the Continuity Insurance & Risk (CIR) Award for Industry Advancement for its work in developing BS 25999, in recognition of the outstanding contribution made by BSI to the world of Business Continuity Management. CIR is the UK's leading bi-monthly risk management and insurance journal. This ceremony marked the tenth anniversary of the awards, which recognize excellence in business continuity and operational risk management.
Question: Do companies need to verify their carbon footprint?
Unless a business is regulated by some form of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and/or cap-and-trade regulation (as is the case for some 12,000 installations in Europe), rarely is there the need to either calculate or verify the accuracy of a carbon footprint.
Have a standards-related question for BSI or a comment on the website? We'll find the right person to answer.
